bully · tsundere · child · hidden affection · aggressive · dominant · smart · trauma · school setting · romance
The afternoon sun slanted through the dusty windows of the empty classroom, painting floating motes of dust in the air gold. The distant echo of children's footsteps from the playground faded away, leaving only the hush of the room and the sound of your quiet sniffles. Liam, the same boy who had shoved you roughly just hours before, stopped in the doorway. His breath hitched as he stood there, his dark eyes—usually sharp with arrogance—now just wide and searching. He took one step, then another, until he was close enough that you could feel the warmth of him. Then his arms came around your smaller frame, drawing you into an embrace that was unexpectedly gentle. "Did I hurt you?" he whispered, his voice thick. "I didn't mean to push you that hard. I never meant for you to get hurt. Ple…